


How to Train Your (Husband's) Dragon

by Onmyliteraturebullshitagain



Series: Zukka + Dragon [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Domestic Fluff, Dragons, Druk is a challenge, Established Relationship, Except the child is a dragon, Fanart, Fire Lord Zuko, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Parenthood, Post-Canon, Zuko and Sokka try to parent Druk, zukka - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-18 22:00:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29616036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onmyliteraturebullshitagain/pseuds/Onmyliteraturebullshitagain
Summary: Just like any animal, Druk needs to learn and grow by watching his parents. Unfortunately, Druk's parents are a pair of semi-oblivious humans. What do Sokka and Zuko possibly know about fire breathing and flying? Well, they're gonna find out.Part of "Zukka + Druk" series only in the sense that it's the same post-canon family dynamic of Zuko, Sokka, and Druk, but each story can be read as a stand-alone.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Zukka + Dragon [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2154747
Comments: 32
Kudos: 191





	How to Train Your (Husband's) Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> Absolutely perfect art curtesy of[@guiltyportfolio](http://guiltyportfolio.tumblr.com) on Tumblr. Please go and check their stuff out because it's AMAZING!
> 
> This story takes place early on in the timeline set by "Sleeping with Dragons." :)

It turns out dragons are just glorified birds. Massive birds, of course, and scaly ones with big claws and face whiskers and fire breath, but still basically birds. Or, the more Sokka researched, they were also a bit like Earth Kingdom deer dogs where they got very attached to the people around them and remained incredibly loyal. And a little like cat owls in that they had a lot of personality and entitlement and a penchant for drama. At least, this was the best Sokka could understand as far as how exactly he was supposed to interact with a young dragon. It wasn't as though there was a scroll he could pull out titled "The Care and Keeping of the Dragon Your Fire Lord Husband was Given by the Sun Warriors in a Gesture of Support." Regardless, the general principle of dragon-rearing seemed to be similar to birds or deer dogs or owl cats: the baby learned how to be a good dragon/bird/dog/cat from watching and interacting with its parents. 

Unfortunately, Druk's parents were a pair of humans. 

Of course, he must have had actual _dragon_ parents at some point, but he'd come to Zuko as a golden egg that hatched right there in the palace, so whoever his dragon parents were, they certainly weren't there to raise him. Instead there was Zuko and Sokka. Zuko, who took one look at the somewhat slimy baby crawling out of a broken egg and fell immediately in love, and Sokka, who instead of love felt immediate terror at the implication of what that slimy baby would eventually become. Huge, fire-breathing, magical murder monster. 

But it wasn't like there was anyone _else_ who could raise this baby dragon (or that Zuko would possibly _let_ raise his dragon), so it was up to Zuko and Sokka. The Fire Lord and the future Chief of the Southern Water Tribe. A pair of men who'd fallen in love and hand-waved away the political and social implications of their relationship and gotten married anyway. Too bad neither of them were dragons, even if one of them _did_ breathe fire and the other understood the general mechanics of flight. 

At least at the very beginning, Druk was small enough to loop around a forearm and hand and be carried that way for safe keeping. He bonded instantly to Zuko and liked to rub his little cheek fluffies against his face and head whenever possible. He also took to hiding under Zuko's hair when it was down and then poking out his nose and chirping when people came near. Zuko grinned and carried him around everywhere and hand fed him bits of meat and spent hours sometimes just talking to and petting him. But then, amazingly, Druk bonded to Sokka too. Sokka knew Druk was very much Zuko's dragon--this symbol of fire bending and the Fire Nation and rebirth and all that good stuff--but apparently being Zuko's husband also earned him some affection from the weird little baby. Or maybe he just liked that Sokka's hair had a braid with a bead at the end that hung near his face, which Druk batted around and attempted to chew on. Or he liked that Sokka would set him down on his desk and position him certain ways and then draw diagrams of his wings and his facial features. Druk bit at the brush, of course, but also made his funny little purring sounds and climbed up Sokka's arm to rub at his face too. 

"Yeah, alright," Sokka said, just letting Druk grumble and butt his cheek and paw at his braid. "Yes, fine, we can be friends, ok? But only if you promise not to eat me when you're big enough."

Druk purred again and smoothed his face against the side of Sokka's jaw, which Sokka decided to take as a tacit agreement. 

So it became quite common to see either the Fire Lord or his Water Tribe husband with a very small dragon on his shoulders or halfway on his head or wrapped around one arm or tucked into the front of a robe. Druk refused to be left by himself anywhere, and he was a baby after all, and babies needed care and attention, right?

Except that most month-old babies didn't start unexpectedly burping fire. 

Said fire-burp singed off the bottom of Sokka's goatee and caused him to make a deeply undignified shriek and almost drop the dragon in his hands. Druk responded by yelping too and digging his claws into Sokka's forearm and then spitting a slightly more calculated little fireblast just to the right of Sokka's face as if warding off a threat. Sokka made another embarrassing sound that had the guard nearest him (Sai maybe? he should remember considering she was around him so much) making a noise that had better not have been a laugh.

Sokka didn't even care that Zuko was in a meeting with two of his elder council members when he threw the door open. Everyone within the room jumped and whirled and poor Zuko, who'd already weathered a handful of assassination attempts, immediately had fire in both hands ready to fling.

"That!" Sokka announced, still carrying Druk, although held a bit away from him now. "That's why you gotta take your dragon before he burns my face off!"

"Burns your--" Zuko stammered for a moment. Then it was quickly replaced by a large smile and the flames dropping from his hands. "He's breathing fire?"

"Not well and not very intentionally but _yes_!" Sokka said, storming forward with the dragon held out in both hands.

"Fire Lord Zuko--" one councilor said.

"Master Sokka--" began the other at the same time. 

"Hey there, buddy!" Zuko said, ignoring them and taking the dragon into his own hands and beaming down at him. "Are you a little firebender?"

"And I'm, what, chopped komodo-chicken liver?" Sokka huffed. 

Zuko smiled over at him and freed one hand, beckoning him closer.

"Of course not," Zuko replied, pulling him in with an arm around his shoulder and kissing him on the cheek. "You know I love you above anything else."

"Even more than Druk?" Sokka mumbled, being petulant, and Zuko just laughed and kissed him for real.

One of the councilmen cleared his throat (probably one of the old guys who still supported the stupid marriage ban Zuko had reversed and then, you know, really kicked over by marrying a man himself), and Zuko finally looked back over.

"I'm sorry, councilman," he said diplomatically and with just a hint of bite, "is my moment with my family keeping you from something?"

The man flushed just a little and muttered something about schedules and taxes, which no one acknowledged.

"So you're gonna teach him how to be a firebender, right?" Sokka asked. "And to not burn the whole palace down or roast us to a crisp?"

Zuko chuckled. "What a reverse, me teaching a _dragon_ how to firebend." But he didn't say 'no', so that was good enough.

That evening, Sokka followed Zuko and Druk out into one of the training yards specifically made for firebending (so nothing flammable, which would probably be good). Zuko stepped out into the middle of the training area while Sokka lingered on the sidelines to watch. Druk, for his part, simply stayed on Zuko's shoulder and extended out his wings to catch the dwindling sun. 

"So…" Zuko began, "how do we do this?"

"You think _I_ know?" Sokka said with a laugh. "How'd you learn to firebend?"

"Um, a lot of breathing? And katas? And drills?" Zuko said and then furrowed his brow. "None of which apply to a _dragon_."

"Well, I don't know," Sokka replied. "You're basically Druk's mother, so maybe if you do something, he'll do it too."

Zuko shot Sokka a look but then did take a deep breath and stepped into a familiar bending stance, Druk balancing on his shoulder. He punched forward to shoot a small burst of fire straight ahead which sizzled out in the air. Druk made a surprised squawk at that and scuttled backward to hide under Zuko's hair again. Only the red tip of his snout emerged next to Zuko's neck.

"Ok…" Zuko said, "so, not that."

He poked at Druk, trying to coax him back out from hiding.

"Here, buddy, see?" he said and created just a little flame in the palm of his hand. "Just like that."

Druk snooped a little further down his arm, claws digging into the fabric of his sleeve. He sniffed at the fire Zuko held out, and Sokka had to laugh. The sight of a dragon looking nervous about fire and clinging to his husband's arm, Zuko's face full of open love and enjoyment, was strangely adorable. Something in Sokka's heart swelled at that, the chance for Zuko to care for something that loved him back, to be a different sort of parental figure than he'd had himself. And Sokka knew that was who he was under the anger and snark--patient, kind, thoughtful. All of which would probably be good for raising a dragon.

Druk snuck just a little closer, taking another step down Zuko's arm. His eyes were still bright on the little flame, which made his scales glisten. He huffed, letting out just a little smoke through his nostrils, which was definitely a start. 

It became a part of the schedule in the evenings for Zuko to go help teach Druk to breathe fire--or more importantly, when and where _not_ to breathe fire. Like not at servants, even if they startled him. Or wooden doors, even if his people were behind them. Or pillows, even if he decided to play with them. Or Sokka, _especially_ Sokka, who was very much not fireproof and did not appreciate his husband's dragon accidentally or intentionally trying to cook him. 

"See, _little_ flames," Zuko instructed, letting out his own small breath of fire to demonstrate. "Little. Appropriate for inside and around people."

"Do dragons understand words like 'appropriate'?" Sokka asked, eyeing the pair warily as they practiced.

"No idea," Zuko replied. "I assumed Ran and Shaw were as smart as any other person, but Druk's still a baby."

"A baby menace," Sokka muttered, picking at a singed edge of one of his arm wraps. But that wasn't fair, because Druk certainly wasn't trying to hurt anyone. He just got overly enthusiastic and fire just… happened. That didn't make it any easier to live with as a nonbender, though. 

After another few weeks, Druk had more of a grasp on his fire and was better at keeping his flames small and away from others, or just huffing out smoke to express himself. He was also a little bigger, less able to hide under Zuko's hair and more likely to need both shoulders to be correctly carried. But it had been over a week since he'd flamed dangerously near to Sokka, and the palace staff were considerably less concerned that there was an ever-present danger of arson. But of course, just as one problem began to resolve, another came forward.

Druk was trying to fly. And he was doing it very badly.

Once again, it was Sokka who first got to experience this new development, which in this case meant Druk climbing up to perch on his shoulder, extending his wings as wide as they could go, and leaping off. He then, of course, crashed to the ground with a yelp and a skitter of wings and claws against the floor. Sokka made an undignified noise at that as well, sure he'd just been somehow responsible for his husband's dragon plummeting to his untimely death. But thankfully, Druk righted himself, shook out his wings, and looked up at Sokka as if to say "we try again?"

"Absolutely not," Sokka said, scooping him up tight in his arms and heading off to disturb another of Zuko's meetings. 

At least this time there was no imminent danger, so he waited for the meeting to actually conclude before acousting Zuko with an armload of irritating and squirming dragon. 

"What'd he do now?" Zuko asked, tired around his eyes like he often was after meeting with the military leaders, all of whom filed out and a handful of whom still gave Sokka dirty looks.

"He's trying to fly," Sokka said, and then added immediately, "and are you ok?"

"Annoyed," Zuko replied, rubbing his forehead. "Sixteen-year-old Zuko would have thrown General Chen through a wall."

"Well good thing he's dealing with mature, grown-up Zuko then, huh?" Sokka said. "Who's better adjusted and has a husband and a dragon that love him."

Zuko gave him a crooked smile. "Fair enough. So he's flying?"

"If by 'flying' you mean 'falling rapidly and scaring me half to death,' then yes," Sokka said, holding Druk out. "So are you gonna teach him that too?"

"Me?" Zuko said with a startled laugh. "What'd you think I know about _flying_?"

"What do any of us know about flying?" Sokka replied. "What, should we call in Appa to impart some wisdom? See if Momo wants to give lessons?"

"Well…" Zuko said, " _you_ were the one who literally invented war balloons at fifteen."

"That's science! This is--" He jiggled Druk a little, who made a peeping sound up at him in annoyance. “This is--"

"Science too, right?" Zuko pressed with a sort of smirk. "It's all pushing and pulling air and gliding like the people at that one air temple. You get how all _that_ works!" He shrugged. "I'd have to just toss him off a roof and hope he figured it out."

"You are _not_ ," Sokka said, suddenly protective as he tucked Druk back into his chest, "throwing Druk off a roof!"

Zuko just smiled. "Guess you'll have to teach him to fly then, won't you?"

Sokka narrowed his eyes at him. "Jerk-bender," he grumbled.

Luckily, his brain was already turning with ideas.

He wrote Teo first of all for any assistance he could give with understanding better the mechanics of the gliders and the basic principles of flight. He wrote a similar letter to Aang (although that letter was messier and a bit less polite), and then went in search of books and scrolls about dragons and wing anatomy and whatever else he could find. Finally, he pulled out his notes and diagrams about Druk and studied them again. He understood the principles: the shape and movement in the wings for propulsion and gliding, the tail as a kind of rudder. It lined up with the diagrams in books about birds and full-size dragons and wolf-bats. But translating these principles to the actual dragon himself? Especially while that dragon was sprawled out on his desk and occasionally blowing smoke that ruffled the edges of the parchment… not so easy.

Still, he started with just sitting Druk on the desk in front of him and gently stretching his wings and moving them around to demonstrate how they were meant to work, explaining all the while. Druk, being the dumb baby he was, just chirped and flapped his wings and spun circles while Sokka sighed and rubbed his forehead. He next tried holding Druk up with his palms and forearms and encouraging him to open up his wings and then bouncing him slightly to get the feel for air movement beneath them. This seemed to work for a little bit until Druk burped and then threw up over the side of his hand.

"Really?" Sokka asked tiredly. "A dragon with _motion sickness_?"

Druk just chirped again and rubbed his snout into Sokka's hand. 

"How's the flying going?" Zuko asked later that night as he climbed into bed, Druk already making himself at home on his pillow. 

"It's not," Sokka grunted. "I think your dragon is broken."

Zuko huffed at that and gave Druk a few pets. 

"He'll figure it out," he said and then reached over to pull Sokka into his chest. "He's got a good teacher."

Sokka wasn't so sure about that, but he wasn't gonna argue with his warm, sleepy husband. Instead, he snuggled under the blankets, gave Zuko a kiss, and avoided Druk's twitching tail.

Sokka tried everything he could think of: showing Druk pictures, bringing him around birds to see if he’d copy them, demonstrating himself (which was deeply embarrassing), creating like Druk-like kites and mechanical-type toys to try to show him the mechanics, seeing if he could throw balls or treats to get him to jump up and chase them, and all other manners of ridiculous things that were starting to give Sokka a headache and make him a laughingstock in front of the guards that tended to hover around him. Druk seemed to have no idea at all what the pictures meant, just wanted to chase and chirp at the birds, just scampered after Sokka like they were playing, tried to eat or burn the kites and toys, and relied entirely on running to go after any balls or treats presented to him.

“We may actually have to just throw him off a roof,” Sokka said tiredly two weeks later with a larger Druk stretched out between him and Zuko in bed, his tail flopped across Sokka’s middle and his head on Zuko’s sternum.

“We can’t do that!” Zuko argued.

“It was your suggestion!”

“I was _joking_.”

Sokka sighed and ran his hands over the dragon’s tail, still considering.

Maybe throwing him off a roof wasn’t a good plan (or really possible if Sokka was being honest) but maybe Druk could be coaxed into jumping off certain heights himself like he had with Sokka’s shoulder, except he’d have someone to catch him next time.

The next day after his _actual_ work was done, Sokka headed out into a separate training yard, dragon in tow, to begin his second job: dragon flight instructor, apparently. He let Druk stay on his shoulders as he pulled out different sized training dummies and obstacles used in sparring and practice. He also pulled on some heavy gloves often used with the messenger hawks, already prepared for dragon claws coming at his hands. Then he set Druk on top of one of the smaller training dummies and took a few steps back, hands extended.

“Ok, now jump!” Sokka said, beckoning.

Druk stared at him, still precariously balanced with his claws digging into the wood, and he chirped at Sokka in annoyance and huffed out a little flame.

“Don’t backsass me,” Sokka replied and gestured again. “Just jump. Come on. I’ll catch you!”

Druk continued to glare and hiss and reposition and shoot little flames and do basically anything but jump toward Sokka. Sokka sighed, considering. He should have known just him by himself wouldn’t be enough of an incentive to get Druk leaping into the unknown. Maybe if he’d brought really good treats. Or maybe if he was Zuko. 

But he hadn’t brought treats, and Zuko was in another meeting, so it was just Sokka, in his big gloves trying to coax and wheadle and beg that Druk take a jump his way. Of course the stupid dragon would leap _off_ Sokka in an attempt at flight but _toward_ him? Apparently not. He was definitely his husband’s dragon after all.

He was about ready to throw in the towel and head back to the drawing board and send more very long and dramatic letters to Aang and Teo to beg them to come drop their important adult duties to train a dragon how to fly. But he gave it one more shot, one more gesture toward himself and one more request that Druk give it a chance and trust him just a little bit. He didn't have much faith it would work this time when none of the other times had.

Except this time, Druk took the leap. 

He forgot to open his wings until he was already plummeting, and Sokka almost missed him in his surprise. But he didn’t, catching the little dragon and making a wild, embarrassing squealing noise at his armload of dragon that had actually attempted flight again. 

“Druk you did it! You _do_ love me and not just because I’m married to your actual person!” Sokka cried, swinging Druk around in delight. “Who’s the best little bed-hogging monster ever, aren’t you? Who’s a good slithery little beastie?”

One of the guards who always seemed to linger around the doorways cleared her throat, reminding Sokka that he was, in fact, still a grown man in a position of power and still in the castle where people could possibly walk by and hear or see him. He shot the guard a grateful little nod, and she just gave him a small smile. 

“That’s pretty embarrassing, huh?” Sokka asked, sure his face was a bit warm.

The guard ( _was_ her name Sai? Su? he would have asked before if he hadn't been about to get fried) simply smiled a little wider. 

“It’s definitely exciting being around an _actual_ dragon after everyone thought they were gone forever,” she said, “and… maybe a little funny hearing it talked to like a pet fire ferret.”

“Well, he’s basically a pet fire ferret at this point,” Sokka admitted. “Still, thanks for reminding me not to just start screeching like a child.”

“My pleasure, Master Sokka,” the guard replied with another shared smile of amusement, and Sokka really would have to get her name so he could get her assigned to guard this training area when he was here more (and so he could be sure she got a raise).

Still, he moved and set Druk back on top of the training dummy again and took a few steps back again.

“Ok, now wings out this time,” he said, spreading his own arms for a moment, trusting that Sai/Su wouldn’t judge him too badly after everything she'd already encountered, “and then jump again.”

Druk shifted around but did open up his wings this time. And he did jump toward Sokka again, and Sokka once again caught him.

There was still excited squealing, but it was slightly more dignified.

They kept this up for another hour, Sokka stepping slightly further back each time so that Druk had to jump a bit further, glide a little bit more. He still wasn’t quite figuring out how to move up or forward with his wings, but he was learning what they were for at least. And he’d never actually crashed to the ground, so that had to count for something also. Then Sokka placed Druk on a slightly taller obstacle and stepped back again. There was no hesitation this time as Druk let out an excited cry and threw himself forward, wings spread. He actually caught a bit of wind then and glided for a bit longer, his claws tucked in and his tail extended behind him to steer. Sokka’s yell then was less dignified, but he didn’t care. He even thought he registered Sai/Su giving a little gasp of excitement, although she stayed more composed then Sokka did. He talked happily to Druk again and moved to set him back on top once more. After a few more of these successful tries and more distance comfortably covered by the little dragon, Sokka held Druk to his chest. 

“Sai--or is it Su?” he asked. 

The guard smiled. “Sai, Master Sokka,” she replied.

“Ok good,” he said. “Would you be so kind as to go find the Fire Lord please? Or find someone to find him?” He waved a hand. “Just see if my husband can come down here.”

The guard gave a quick bow over her hands, unable to disguise her continued smile, and then headed away. 

Sokka had Druk positioned on one of the training obstacles when Zuko finally appeared, still looking like a fully dignified Fire Lord as he stepped out into the yard. Sokka’s smile was beaming and he knew it.

“Ok, Druk,” he said, holding the dragon steady before he could take off toward his person. “Go get ‘im!”

And then he stepped back, let Druk extend his wings and take a flying leap toward Zuko, giving a squeak of delight as he did so. But that squeak of delight was nothing compared to Zuko’s thrilled noise as his dragon came soaring toward him, still a little wobbly but definitely, absolutely flying. He even gave a little burst of happy fire just before he got to Zuko, who caught him in his arms. 

Thank goodness it was only Sai there to see Sokka and Zuko both erupt into absolutely ridiculous yells and cheers and quite a bit of jumping around and hugging each other. Just a pair of embarrassingly proud accidental dragon parents.


End file.
